Economic Development:

Disaster Payments

RCED-94-208R, May 12, 1994

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GAO provided information on the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service's (ASCS) disaster assistance payments for crop years 1988 through 1993. GAO noted that: (1) between 1988 and 1993, ASCS allocated $9 billion in disaster assistance payments for 1,265 crops; (2) of the $9 billion in ASCS disaster assistance payments, income and price support payments totalled nearly $5 billion for 14 crops, insured and uninsured price support payments totalled more than $1.5 billion for 35 crops, nonprogram insured payments totalled about $1.5 billion for 369 crops, and nonprogram uninsured payments totalled nearly $815 million for 847 crops; (3) disaster assistance payment information was prepared by linking Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) and ASCS data files; and (6) it could not verify the accuracy of FCIC or ASCS computer data.